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PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (May 31, 2002 - The National/PINA Nius Online)---Public interest in June’s Papua New Guinea elections is low, according to University of Papua New Guinea political science lecturer Dr. Henry Okole.

Dr. Okole attributed this to poor governance, an emerging consciousness of voters, the economic downturn, the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates and vote buying.

He said people could no longer be bothered with candidates' campaign speeches and activities when the popular view was they were all liars.

He added: "The public appears to be showing weariness from the appalling quality of governance.

"Many MPs have continuously showed they can easily compromise their constitutional responsibilities and most of them are increasingly becoming sedated by the glamour of power and wealth that they simply overlooked or undermined their responsibilities to their constituencies."

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (May 31, 2002 – Radio Australia)---The Customs Service in American Samoa is hoping to gain federal funding to pay for two "sniffer" dogs and train their handlers to combat the territory’s most serious drug problem, methamphetamine -- or "ice."

The acting Chief of Customs, Jim Butler, says it’s an easy drug to hide and it’s hard to intercept by humans, but not by trained dogs.

Mr. Butler, who has just returned from the annual conference of Pacific rim customs offices in Hawai‘i, is trying to secure about (US) $170,000, and is hopeful at least some of it will be provided by his U.S. counterparts.

The government sent Mr. Sato, a businessman and independent MP, to negotiate with Mr. Keke and his men to surrender their weapons under an amnesty, which expired Friday.

Some former Malaita Eagle Force militia members were earlier reported as saying they cannot surrender their guns unless Mr. Keke's group hands in theirs.

Mr. Keke, a former Isatabu Freedom Movement commander, was not a party to the Townsville Peace Agreement, which ended more than two years of ethnic conflict.

This agreement was signed between the Isatabu Freedom Movement, a Guadalcanal militia, and the Malaita Eagle Force, made up of men from Malaita, in October 2000. But hundreds of high-powered weapons were not returned and this contributed to continuing...

TOFOL, Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia (May 16-29, 2002 – The Kaselehlie Press)---Kosrae is famous for its sweet and abundant citrus. Planes that stop here unload their passengers who rush to get some of the fresh and juicy morsels. When a person travels to Pohnpei it is custom to load several boxes or bags to take along. Thousands of pounds are exported annually to the Marshalls and other Pacific Islands. The citrus, limes oranges, tangerines, and the more rare mandarins are world-class organic goods.

That may soon change. A citrus canker, as it has been described, that was first seen approximately three years ago, has been slowly but surely killing the orange and lime trees on the island.

"We might have to eradicate the entire population," said Nena S. Nena, Director of Agriculture, Land, and Fisheries. He added, "One hundred and ninety feet around each infected tree."

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (May 31, 2002 – Radio Australia)---The British High Commission in the New Zealand capital of Wellington has rejected a newspaper report saying Britain has granted a New Zealand company the go-ahead for tourism development in the Pitcairn Islands.

The report said development would begin within the next 12 months on a lodge on Pitcairn, with a floating hotel anchored in the lagoon of uninhabited Oeno Island.

A spokesman for the British High Commission said approval for any development has yet to be given.

He said the company had been told it could submit proposals.

The High Commission spokesman added that the Pitcairn Island Council also had yet to approve any development.

As Radio Australia correspondent Ofa Kaukimoce reports, the Chinese Association of Fiji says the actions of a few are tarnishing the image of the entire Chinese community.

"The Chinese community in the country has long been regarded as hardworking and trouble free, whose members maintain very private lives.

"But in recent years the influx of new Chinese immigrants into Fiji has brought with it a fair share of adverse publicity.

"There are regular reports of a Chinese mafia ring operating out of Fiji. There are also reports of public street fights between local youths and Chinese men. There are also reports that Chinese women are working as sex workers.

"These public images of the Chinese community have angered the association, whose president and influential businessman Lionel Lee says is...

The trials have been conducted for the past three years by the National Agriculture Research Institute. They have been funded by the Australian Center for International Agriculture Research and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

Fruit fly is a major problem in Papua New Guinea, where the insect infects fruits. Infected fruits have little worms inside. Specialists say Papua New Guinea has the highest number of fruit fly species in the Pacific, with about 180 varieties.

The trials were headed by a United Nations volunteer and entomologist Luc Le Blanc, with a team of scientists from the research institute.

Mr. Le Blanc said the trials, which were done on the Vietnam white guava, had been fairly successful.

Is the widening economic gulf between Indo-Fijians and indigenous Fijians the root cause of the events of 2000? The Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua Party (SDL) led Coalition seems to have developed a theme around this question to justify first the ‘blueprint for supremacy’ and then the Social Justice Bill. But at a closer look, the gulf between the two communities remains because of failed indigenous Fijian leadership.

After independence in 1970, the Alliance Party, under the direction of Ratu Mara, developed and imposed a raft of programs in favor of indigenous Fijians. Seventeen years later, Sitiveni Rabuka deposed an elected government and imposed his version of the blueprint, which was incorporated into the political machinery of the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa i Taukei Party (SVT), sponsored by the Great Council of Chiefs in 1990.

SUVA, Fiji Islands (May 31, 2002 – Radio Australia)---A weeklong official visit to China by Fiji's Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase has yielded a special grant of almost F$ 7.5 million (US$ 3,506,250) that can be used as the government decides.

The PACNEWS service says it's likely the money will be used to purchase two ships to service Fiji's outer islands.

Mr. Qarase also is seeking Chinese funding to help construct a "Pacific Village" in Suva to house regional organizations and serve as a conference center.

CHINA WANTS TO INVEST IN FIJI MAHOGANY

SUVA, Fiji Islands (May 30, 2002 – Radio Australia)---China has renewed its commitment to involve itself in the commercial production of Fiji's huge mahogany plantations.

As Radio Australia correspondent Ofa Kaukimoce reports, the commitment was conveyed to the visiting Fiji trade and investment delegation in Beijing, headed by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.